The Road Less Traveled
by Lyn316
Summary: Julie is the only child of the deceased Billie Jenkins. She is raised by the Charmed Ones & is trained by Billie's old mentor Freya. Julie is attacked by a magical being after class at UCLA that brings a former love back into her life. Can she keep Wyatt safe before his coronation while worrying about his brother's return and Chris's suspension of her half demon boyfriend?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

A girl with dirty blond hair sat on a high beam in a dimly lit gym. Most days, the gym was her sanctuary. It was usually the one place she could go to clear her and just be a normal teenage girl, but today it mocked her. She had fallen twice while making her opening run on the floor mats with a basic combination any child beginner gymnast could make. She wished the tears from the pain of the second fall had been the first to fill her green eyes that day. The lights of the gym were turned on which alerted her she was no longer alone like she had been since her practice ended. She didn't turn around not caring who it was.

"You left the Manor in a hurry Julie," a voice said as they approached her. The girl called Julie was not surprised when a six foot two blonde man with green eyes pulled himself on the balance beam to sit with her.

"I had practice, Wyatt," she reminded the man.

"Which is why you've been sitting here in the dark the last hour since practice ended?" Julie didn't answer. "Julie it was an easy choice for him not to come home." Julie climbed off the high beam and walked over to her bag. "Do think Chris wanted to be away from you?" Julie pulled out a key from her bag before she turned to face the Wyatt.

"We were going to announce our relationship to the family today when the two of you came home from your trip," Julie told him. "No more sneaking around trying not to get caught by anyone like you caught us. He was going to start Community College here in San Francisco and I was going to start home schooling to get my GED so I would have time to see him outside of training here at the gym for nationals coming up this year and maybe even Worlds." Julie held up the key. "He gave me a key to the apartment you guys got after we decided we wanted to stop sneaking around and really be together after his graduation party. Now you're telling me that he's giving all that up because he wants to go after a demon that escaped a vanquish and isn't coming home for at least a year or two?"

"Like I said earlier, it's a fight for the greater good," Wyatt said trying to keep his voice calm.

"Screw the greater good!" Julie yelled. "My Mother had to kill her own sister for the greater good and thirteen years later it cost her own life!"

"Aunt Billie would ashamed if she could hear her only daughter right now," Wyatt replied as he jumped off the high beam. "You're a witch from the Daniel's line with powerful abilities for helping innocents. You can't walk away your destiny just because you're mad at the world Julie Jenkins." Julie tossed him the key.

"Watch me. I'm not the one with prophecies about me." Julie grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" Wyatt asked her when she reached the door.

"If been offered a spot to train in a gym located in Ontario California run by a former Gymnastic Olympian," Julie answered without bothering to turn around. "I wasn't going to take it so I wouldn't be further from Chris. I'm leaving by train tomorrow night."

"Have you told Aunt Phoebe you're moving out?" Julie didn't answer but she turned her head to look at him.

"Bye Wyatt." Julie left and didn't notice the envelope in Wyatt's hand. Wyatt looked at envelope.

"She's not ready to hear what you have to say, Chris," he said to himself as he shoved the envelope in the front pocket of his jeans. "Not yet little brother. She still has to grow before she can start following the path that will lead to her destiny."

* * *

**AN- Reviews are always welcomed!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note- This story will not be following the Charmed comic series. Also please note that I do not own any of the orginal Charmed characters including Melinda and Prue. With that being said enjoy!**

* * *

_**3 Years Later...**_

Julie sat in her eight am Algebra class wanting nothing more than to fall asleep like her auburn housemate next to her. The half-whitelighter was the one who usually took notes being an overachiever with academics since the Elders had encouraged her to pursue a college career in addition to her whitelighter duties. Julie's whitelighter Angela wanted to prove to the Elders she could handle more which had finally paid off by receiving a new charge. Angela had been out at P-3 until two am with her new charge and then went over to her charge's house for another hour before coming home to do a paper which was why Julie was taking notes for the both of them. Julie was amazed she had gotten her whitelighter to class. Angela wasn't thrilled that she was getting a charge who had no idea about the magic or whitelighters, but knew the Elders wouldn't have given her another charge unless it was important. When Angela first met Julie, Julie had made it clear she didn't need a whitelighter and was not taking orders from the Elders. Angela had made it clear to the Elders that she needed time with Julie to gain the witch's trust since their first meeting ended with Julie telling the girl disappear or Julie would scatter the whitelighter's orbs herself. Even when Angela had gain Julie's trust despite Julie's refused to work for the Elders, Angela demanded her attention be focused on Julie so that the two could further bond. It was hard for the two of them to live their double life as college students even though it keep the girls safe but it was easier having Julie's off campus house. Although college was important to them, demons and forces of evil were always making it hard for them to maintain the balance. In-between writing papers and getting involved on campus, the two had more responsibilities than most people realized. Some days the struggle made them want to quit school, but they had each other and their three other magical housemates to keep one another going. It was a bond that led Angela to ask the Elders to take on her three other housemates as charges. The Elders had denied Angela's request not happy that Julie was still refusing to work with them, but that didn't mean the five housemates were any less connected on as friends and protectors of good.

"We'll pick it up there next time," the professor said as Julie finished copying the final part of the answer. Julie (along with the rest of the class) watched the Professor eye the girl next to Julie before he threw the eraser at the sleeping Auburn's head. The girl sat up at once and people laughed. Her sapphire blue eyes were still blood shot even though she had spent the last hour asleep. "Strike one Miss Thomas."

"Sorry Sir," the girl apologized as people began to leave. She turned to Julie. "Did I snore?"

"Do you think I'd let you snore, Ange?" Julie asked her friend as she gathered her things. She checked her phone to see she three missed calls and a text saying they needed to talk from Wyatt. Julie tossed her phone in her bag still annoyed with him from last night, but didn't let it show to Angela.

"I did call you a bitch earlier though when we were leaving the house, right." Julie looped her arm through Angelina's.

"Part of having…" Julie looked around. "Having unique housemates is knowing that we got your back even in your cranky moods…and know to disregard the numerous death threats when we're trying to get you to class." Angela laughed at Julie.

"I guess we're just lucky you scored a sweet beachside house last year before any of us went to UCLA." Julie was a year older than three of her four of her housemates, but had only started college courses this pass August due to her uncertainty about whether to try to have a normal life again. When she finally decided to settle down in L.A., she found a great three bedroom two bath house on the beach. Julie had moved in during the spring, but the rest of her house mates hadn't moved in until right before classes started. It had all worked out in the end as if it was always suppose to be that way. The two girls walked in silence for a minute or so until Angela stopped Julie. "Hey where were you last night, Jules? Penny was the only one in your room when I got home this morning."

"I was in the cupboard." The attic contained an adjacent bedroom (affectionately called the "cupboard" by her housemates) that was half the size of the other three beach house bedrooms. It was big enough to hold the bed, a desk, lamp and a five drawer dresser. Julie had designed the space to be a place to sleep if someone was researching in the Attic and was too tired to go down two flights of stairs to get back to their room with each girl having spare clothes up there. Julie usually slept in her shared room with Penny, but she had been furious with the girl last night and decided it would be best for everyone if she slept in the attic. Lately it seemed like Julie had been spending more and more nights in the cupboard to avoid her roommate.

"Does this have anything to do with why you left P-3? Penny told me you were leaving, but if I thought it was important I would have excused myself from Wendy for a minute." Julie started to walk again in anger. It was bad enough Penny had talked to Wyatt, but to then say something to lie to Angela was not like her.

"It's just Penny and her big mouth," Julie said more to herself than to Angela. The girl caught up to Julie and matched her pace. Julie stopped before she stopped Angela. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing," Angela said all too quickly. Julie gave the auburn a look. "She said something about you getting a headache and going home to get some rest." Julie snorted as they continued to make their way to the cafeteria.

"A headache caused by her." Angela shook her head.

"I'm so glad I'm an only child."

"I am an only child and I still get this nonsense," Julie reminded her as the two walked into the on-campus cafeteria. It was where all five of the housemates usually met for breakfast every day during the week. Angela and Julie went through the food line, but Julie wasn't that hungry. She grabbed a bottle of water and an apple so her friends wouldn't be concerned. She waited with Angela for the auburn's bacon egg and cheese. They then went to their usual table and saw their three other housemates already there.

"Did Ange get something thrown at her?" the raven head girl with caramel eyes asked.

"Just because you have Lydia doesn't mean everyone has," Angela snapped as she sat. Lydia Theresa Nicolae (only daughter of Ava Nicolae and one day successor of their Gypsy tribe) smiled at her roommate.

"And to think I was so patient with you coming into the room so late last night instead of going into the spare bedroom," Lydia replied sweetly.

"Don't even think about moving into the basement," the platinum blond girl said to Lydia. Her icy blue eyes looked at Julie for confirmation.

"Basement's yours Katarina," Julie told her. "We all agreed to that months ago." Katarina gave Julie a smile which was unlike the girl. Julie had met Katarina when they were six years old and had been assigned roommates when Julie attended Magic School for her Middle School years. Katarina's mother had once been one of Freya's favorite Valkyries, but had been banished and made mortal after she saved a soldier's life instead of taking his soul to Valhalla. Her banishment included being forcing her marry a man and submit to his every commanded even if it was to bare him children. To be forced marry and bare a man's child was a fate worse than death in the eyes of a Valkyrie. There were some Valkyrie's who married warriors they had formed feelings other than sexual arousal with or because Freya wanted a warrior to have a child and knew Valkyrie blood would make the child stronger, but marriages such as those never resulted in the Valkyrie losing her powers and gave them equal partnerships with their mate. Those who suffered the fate of being forced to submit themselves to a husband and bare the man children usually killed themselves before their husband could touch them in order to maintain their honor. Katrina's mother bore her punishment and found pleasure in her new life which angered Freya so much the Goddess stripped the former Valkyrie of the name that Freya had given her when Freya made a mortal maiden a Valkyrie thousands of years ago. Once called Hjördís (meaning sword goddess) Katrina's mother was renamed Rebecca (meaning snare). Lucky for Katarina, her Father was from a long line of warriors witches which gave the Katrina powers. Katarina had spent her life training with her Mother in the Valkyrie ways as well as Father in his family's Wiccan and warrior ways in hope that one day Freya would give the girl a chance to prove herself and not punish her as Freya did with her Mother. When Julie decided to make the move to L.A., Katarina had been the first girl Julie asked to move in. Julie loved that Katarina had agreed to move in hoping Katrina would one day open her heart to trust the other housemates as well. The two were both trained in the Valkyrie ways which made them perfect training partners.

"I'm sure you can take the guest room," the brunette girl with matching brown eyes and a button nose said. She gave Julie a smile. "Or even the Attic. Julie never sleeps up there anymore."

"I wouldn't go there Penny," Angela cautioned. Penny looked at Julie concerned that Angela knew more about Julie than Penny did at the moment. When Julie's Mother Billie died, Penny's Mother Phoebe had taken Julie in as one of her own. Julie had been rebellious when she first moved in which earned Julie her first extended trip to Valhalla so the Valkyries could whip Julie back into shape and move on from the death of her Mother. When Julie returned, she had a new attitude about living with her Aunt Phoebe even though she was unpleased to have to attend Magic School for the remainder of her Middle School career. Julie and Penny had been close before Billie's death (despite Penny's older sister Prue being closer in age to Julie), but the two had become best friends over the years. Julie knew she had hurt Penny when the blonde left California after being forced to retire from her gymnastic career due to injury from a demon attack and finding no resolution at Magic School, but it was nowhere near the hurt Julie was feeling over Penny's betrayal last night.

"What's going on?" Penny questioned Julie clueless of how upset Julie was. Julie looked around to see it was too crowded to not risk being overheard.

"Not here," Julie told her.

"Like hell!" Lydia exclaimed with a finger pointed at Julie. "No fighting in the house, remember. Things tend to go boom." Julie ignored Lydia and decided to drop the topic. Penny on the other hand had inherited her Mother's stubborn streak and would not.

"Are you jealous that I was trying to hook Lydia up with a guy?" Penny asked. "Really JayJay, because you know how I am about love and how I feel about…"

"You told Wyatt about Kyle's background," Julie interrupted. Penny's eyes widen a bit. Did she really believe that Wyatt wouldn't approach her when he found out that Julie boyfriend of six months was half demon? How stupid could the girl be? Of course Penny (like the rest of the Halliwell family) had no idea that Julie was a member of the soon to be King's pre-coronation advisory board, but even if she wasn't Wyatt would never allow her dating with demon blood to go unnoticed. He would be too concerned the relationship would end with her being hurt in a way that wasn't just heartbroken.

"Who's Wyatt?" Angela asked.

"Wyatt Halliwell," Lydia explained. "Only the most powerful wit…person of our generation."

"And my cousin," Penny added as she starred at Julie concerned. "He said something to you? He told me you left last night because you weren't feeling good." Julie snorted.

"What did you think telling him that I was dating someone who is not a full witch wouldn't result in me getting a lecture?" Julie barked.

"Careful Julie," Katarina warned eyeing the tables around them. Julie did the same but saw none of the people shift.

"Well maybe he sees what we've been trying to warn you about," Penny said annoyed. "I mean do you seriously think you can just write off the fact that he's half demon? You are dating someone evil."

"He's half witch which means he has good in him," Julie argued. "Kyle is different than the things we hunt. And why does it matter to you? You don't like it when people aren't in relationships."

"He's not…right," Lydia agreed siding with Penny. "I mean how well do you know him? Don't you think it's weird that he has no idea about his father and his mother the witch was killed in some freak accident?" Julie got up.

"You know what I've been seeing him since before any of you decided to attend UCLA and before any of you were invited to live in my home rent free which is saving you a ton of money by the way. Back off with Kyle." Penny opened her mouth to argue, but Julie made Penny's soda explode in her face. Julie then grabbed her backpack and left the cafeteria tempted to cut the rest of the day to go demon hunting. In her mood, she could vanquish the entire underworld in a matter of minutes.

Julie felt the anger continue to boil as she walked across campus and not just because Penny had called her JayJay. She knew she should just brush of Penny comments, but it seemed her inner Valkyrie training would not let it go. All Julie could think of was attacking the nearest demon and making it beg for mercy. Of course a Valkyrie was supposed to have a clear mind and focus only on their training for the final battle. Julie took a breath and closed her eyes to focus on her breathing like she had been taught when she was in this mood. She took a few deep breaths before she sensed someone behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and flipped her attacker onto the sidewalk before she put a foot on their throat. She immediately scanned the area for other attackers instead of looking at her attacker.

"That upset about me canceling last night, Julie?" a male voice asked. Julie looked down at the familiar light brown headed boy and gasped.

"Kyle, I'm so sorry," Julie apologized as she helped him up. His brown eyes looked into her green eyes before he gave her a smile.

"It's my fault for sneaking up on you when you're probably still upset with me." Julie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I'm not mad at you," she assured him as she went to kiss him again. This time Kyle pulled away.

"Then why on edge?" Julie looked away. "Jules what is it?" Julie looked at him with a look of annoyance.

"Just Penny and her mouth." Kyle sighed in comfort which only fueled Julie's anger. "I swear Penny isn't happy lately unless she's gossiping about someone or something and has everyone on edge. She's acting just like her cousin Malinda." Kyle kissed her neck.

"Does it have something to do with me," he whispered in her ear. Julie looked into his eyes and smiled.

"It doesn't matter." He looked down at her unconvinced. Penny had been the only one of the Halliwell family Kyle had met. The rest of the family had heard of Kyle of course, but no official introductions had been made. Leo had met Kyle when Kyle briefly attended Magic School for a Summer before his mother died. Leo did not however know about Kyle's other side. Julie wasn't ashamed of Kyle, but given her Aunt Phoebe's history Julie figured the family would freak. Penny had freaked out about Kyle when she first met him, but she promised Julie she would work on accepting him more as well as not saying anything to anyone. Penny had broken both these promises which made Julie even less willing to introduce Kyle to the family. Although most guys would be pissed off or annoyed about not meeting the family of their six month girlfriend, Kyle was being understanding with the situation. He knew how well respected the Halliwell family was and knew how much their approval meant to Julie. "I promise it won't be like this forever." Kyle gave her a smile before he place a kiss on her lips.

"I'm used to it," he reminded her. "The magic community isn't too welcoming to anyone with demon blood." Julie stroked his face.

"I'm so sorry you had to grow up like that," she said. After his Mother died, Kyle had been through the foster program across the United States. The only problem was that he was being tracked by other demons for his powers. Kyle had been forced to run from foster home to foster home never settling down in one place. That was until he turned eighteen when he had a power advancement as was the tradition in his family. Since his eighteenth birthday, no demon had intentionally sought Kyle out. Despite his non-innocent childhood, Kyle didn't let it hold him back in any aspect of his life. He had taken a year and a half off from school in order to pay for college. He was currently working two jobs to continue to pay for school in addition to class. Kyle leaned down for a kiss and Julie obliged with a smile.

"Get a room," a voice yelled. Julie pulled away and buried her head in his chest to hide her now red face. Kyle placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Coffee run? I have time before class." Julie nodded and the two began to walk to the on campus coffee shop as he told her about his night. When they got to the coffee shop, Kyle held the door open for Julie and insisted on paying for her herbal tea like the good boyfriend he was. They then walked back outside and found a secluded bench. Julie dropped her backpack on the floor before she sat down.

"This is just what I needed," Julie said after she took her first sip. Kyle rubbed her leg.

"How about talking about what happened with you last night?" he asked as he gave Julie a smile. "Maybe that'll help too." Julie sighed. "Babe it doesn't take a genius to know something's really bothering you." Julie took another sip of her chamomile tea before taking the plunge.

"Penny told Wyatt about you." Kyle gave her a look of confusion.

"Wyatt is…"

"Wyatt Halliwell," Julie informed him before he could jump to any conclusions. His eyes widened in shock.

"Wyatt Halliwell as in the first born of the eldest charmed one and the chosen one to unite all of magic." Julie covered his hand with her own.

"He's not coming after you." Kyle shook off her hand and stood.

"Really because I think the greatest power of good and future King of the Magical Community who doesn't like that your girlfriend is dating you would result in him hunting me down." Julie couldn't help but laugh. Kyle looked at her as if she was crazy which made her laugh even harder. "What is so funny?" Julie wiped the tears from her eyes.

"He's the most powerful being of our time and you're worried about him coming after you because he won't like you?" Kyle's stopped pacing and looked at her in fear.

"Do you think he'll come after me because I'm half demon?" Julie got up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"He's not going to hurt you," Julie promised. Kyle shook her off once more.

"I think he would if he was jealous enough!" he yelled as he looked around the area. Julie picked up her backpack not wanting to get in another argument.

"I never went out with Wyatt, Kyle." She looked at him in the eye. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't jump to that conclusion just because he's a member of the male gender." She went to leave, but Kyle stepped in front of her.

"Then why would he be so upset if you were dating someone if he didn't date you himself."

_Because of Chris_, she thought. Julie had told Kyle she hadn't dated anyone serious since Chris, but she hadn't told Kyle who her last boyfriend was. It was over three years and she still wasn't ready to open that wound. "Did you not hear his last name? Halliwell, as in the only family I have."

"So he's just family?" Julie sighed.

"He's the brother I never had," she admitted honestly. Julie hadn't always seen Wyatt as anyone other than an arrogant spoiled brat (which was why her and Chris got along so well as children), but things changed after her mother's death. He became more aware that she was not only a powerful witch, but how Julie his sister even though they didn't share blood. Wyatt already had a sister, but he was overprotective of her which had sparked many fights between him and Chris when Wyatt felt Chris' teasing of Malinda went too far. When Wyatt had began dating the Lauren Acker his Junior year of High School, Julie was the first one to figure out the two were secretly dating due to Lauren's status as the daughter of a local High Priestess. Julie became the girl who went out gift shopping with Wyatt for Lauren to make the shopping trip shorter since Wyatt dragged Chris with him for advice and Lauren wasn't the girly girl kind like Malinda was. Like Julie, Wyatt had been the first one to figure out about Julie's relationship with Chris (despite having no empathy ability) and kept the couple's relationship a secret when he realized how much the two loved each other despite their resistance to commit to one another. He was also the one who always checked on her during the school week and would later orb to her when she left San Francisco to pursue her dream of being an Olympic Gymnast.

It had been Wyatt who suggested Julie go back to Valhalla instead of staying at Magic school when her gymnastic career ended and she came to the realization Chris wasn't coming back during her numerous surgeries. When Julie had returned from Valhalla, Wyatt would always call Julie if he needed someone to go on a vanquish with and Julie would do the same. When Wyatt broke off his eight year relationship with Lauren before summer, Julie had been the first person he told before he made plans to get drink with his High School buddies leaving Julie to make sure Lauren was okay and was the one who took Wyatt home after getting too drunk at P3. Despite their history, Julie was completely blindsided when Wyatt asked her to join his advisory board shortly after she bought the beach house. She had been unsure of taking the position even when he admitted he wanted to rectify the mess he had made with Freya when he went to Valhalla and demanded to be taught the ways of the Valkyrie as their future King, but had agreed to join when his head of security was killed by a demon assassin. He had agreed her condition that she would serve on his advisory board and head of security only until his coronation on his next Birthday since he was now 23. She knew he wanted her to have one of the four seats at his Roundtable, but Julie knew that seat belonged to Chris and knew Wyatt would be distrustful of her judgment when he found out about Kyle.

"I'm sorry, babe," Kyle apologized as he hugged her. Julie felt guilty about his apology since she was bound by oath to keep her positions on Wyatt's council a secret to all besides the eight members of Wyatt's advisory board…seven of which were currently fighting for a chance to become a knight and seated at Wyatt's future round table. "It's just your family intimidates me." Julie looked into his eyes.

"And you have nothing to worry about," she assured him. "Once they know you they'll see how amazing you are and how perfect you are for me." Kyle smiled at her and kissed her.

"Just tell me you're a bit calmer and won't go out hunting." Julie raised an eyebrow. "You were in your 'I'm going to vanquish you' mood, babe." Julie did a quick look around to make sure people weren't listening to them.

"Do I look like I'm about to go out?" Kyle looked down at her jeans and t-shirt outfit with heeled leather boots. She knew how to hunt demons in heels, but he didn't know that.

"You sure you don't want me to cut class?" he asked concerned.

"No you need to go before you fail," she joked with a smile. "Dinner?" Kyle shook his head.

"I have my study group this afternoon and then work again. Tomorrow?"

"I'm free until four."

"Perfect," Kyle agreed. "We can go to that cafe you like downtown for brunch and go catch that Daniel Perkins movie."

"Can't wait." He searched her face.

"You sure you're going to be alright, babe?"

"I'm fine as long as you don't call me babe again," she criticized before she gave him a kiss. "Otherwise I might have to turn you into a pig." He laughed knowing she hated the nickname. Julie's face became serious after a few seconds. "Really I'm okay. I think I'll just go for a walk before I head back home, but call me later if you get the chance."

"Of course." Kyle kissed her again. "Be safe."

"Always."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Julie watched Kyle leave before she took the long route to the bus stop. She was about run to catch the bus people were boarding when she decided to continue her walk to the downtown L.A. area. It was a gorgeous and cold December day with temperatures in the fifties which was unusual for L.A. Julie almost loved the constant warm weather as much as she loved her new L.A. life. Despite loving her life in L.A., Julie still missed Valhalla.

Julie's mother Billie Jenkins had been a friend to the residents of Valhalla and had been shown favor among the Valkyries. Julie didn't know what exactly her Mother did to earn the trust of the Demi-Goddess Freya (whose hate of outsiders rivals none), but Julie had been told by the Halliwell Sisters that her Mother had helped vanquish a demon that threatened the very existence of Valhalla. Freya had offered Billie training which Billie accepted. After Billie found out she was with child, Freya continued to train the mother-to-be in the Valkyrie ways. Freya even bestowed favor on Julie and let the girl visit Valhalla with her Mother whenever the witches wanted to visit. Julie had spent countless days in Valhalla during summer vacation and other school breaks while her mother went on demon hunts or trained with the Valkyries. Julie loved Freya like another Aunt and Julie knew Freya felt the same even if the Demi-Goddess didn't always show it. It had been Freya's idea for Julie to join her in Valhalla after Billie's death when Phoebe went to Freya for advice on how to help Julie cope with her mother's death when mortal as well as magical counseling was not helping. Valhalla was also the place Julie ran to after she was forced to retire from her Gymnastics' career.

After Julie left San Francisco the summer before her Junior year of High School, she threw herself into her training to cope with the pain of Chris' abandonment. She had already competed on a national level as a junior gymnast before her Mother died, but it took five years for Julie to be invited back to a National competition even though she had only taken six months off from competition while she was in Valhalla after her Mother's death during those five years. State competition had been the last competition Chris ever saw her compete in and it had been the weekend after that competition that Chris' graduation party had been held. Julie had spent the last few years trying to forget the fear on his face as he told her he loved her and wanted to be with her officially. Chris knew that he wouldn't have as much time to see Julie since her training time would double in preparation for Nationals, but he never complained about her training schedule since he knew how much Gymnastics meant to Julie and how it had been Billie's dream to see her daughter succeed in Gymnastics or some other activity that didn't involve demon hunting. Chris' leaving enabled her to go to Ontario to get the extra training needed for her to do well at Nationals and won her a ticket to Germany to compete at World Competition representing team USA. Julie had already won a gold medallion in the team event as well as a bronze for overall individual and was about to compete in the high beam competition which had always been her strongest skill. She was just about to mount the high beam with the routine that had her heavily favored for winning the gold medal when a group of demons attacked the event. Julie (who had taken a temporary power binding potion as she did before every competition so she did not risk being tempted to use her powers to help her win) was immobilized and had to rely on the Halliwells who were in the audience to fend off the demons. Julie had done nothing to help the innocents around her since she was powerless and had been trying to get out of the gym when she was caught in-between the cross-fire. Julie was not only knocked unconscious from the attack, but also suffered a torn rotary cuff injury in her right shoulder and an unhappy triad (a tear of the acl, mcl, and meniscus tear) knee injury. After the Doctors as well as her coach told her the Olympics that were being held next year was out of the question and that she had to face the idea that her Gymnastic career was over, Julie asked Paige to heal her leg even though she would take the next year off as if she was really recovering. Paige refused so Julie went to Wyatt who told her that Paige tried to heal Julie while she was unconscious. The Elders had forbidden any Whitelighter and healer from healing Julie's injury since she would not have been injured if she hadn't taken a power binding potion or had helped innocents escaped.

It was decided by the Halliwell sisters and Leo that Julie would return to Magic School while going through her surgeries on her knee and shoulder. Julie had already obtained her GED which made going back to her High School in San Francisco impossible and none of the sisters wanted to run the risk of Julie being caught in another cross-fire by keeping her at any of their homes. Julie sat through three months of classes while she pleaded with the Elders to allow her injuries to be magically healed. They denied her each time saying that her injuries would heal on their own and she would get enough motion back where she would to complete day to day tasks including demon hunting. Julie reminded them that she was only seventeen and had the rest of her life to hunt demons. All she wanted was to experience the Olympics just once and then she would cut out Gymnastics so she could accept her Wiccan duties. The Halliwell sisters had a rule with all their kids as well as Julie that they weren't even suppose to go demon hunting until they were eighteen any way. All Julie was asking for was a chance to make a miraculous recovery that would send her to the Olympics the following year after which she would retire and tell the reporters she hadn't fully recovered like she thought she had. The Elders (who were angry with Julie's constant pleading) convinced the Halliwell sisters to temporarily bind Julie's powers so she could not project herself to the mortal realm to train when Julie risked further injuring herself. Julie had never cried as much as she did when the sisters explained why they were taking her powers with a power of three binding potion that could only be reversed by the Charmed Ones. Julie's heart and body had already broken that year, but her spirit broke at the loss of her free will and more importantly the sisters' trust.

The Elders should have known Julie would rebel when the hurt ceased and the pain of betrayal set in. Even though Julie didn't have her active powers and was unable to have access to the potion's lab without supervision, Julie was still able to send a help signal right under Leo and the other teachers' noses. It didn't surprise Julie when the demi-Goddess herself all but kicked down the door to Julie's advance spell casting final exam to bring Julie back to Valhalla with only Mist and Kara as backup for the numerous magical beings that tried to stop them. Katrina (who had figured out the day before what Julie had done) threw a blinding potion so Julie could escape with the Valkyries in a more peaceful way then the Valkyries had entered. Julie had barely gotten settled in Valhalla when a group of Elders showed up with the Charmed Ones. The Elders demanded Freya step aside so they could take Julie back to Magic School so she could continue her studies to become a responsible witch. Freya refused stating that Julie was a daughter of Valhalla and as daughter the girl would always be protected so long as Freya herself was alive. The argument had almost resulted in a Valkyrie Elder showdown, but Phoebe stopped them and asked Julie what she wanted. Julie said she wasn't sure, but she wanted to stay Valhalla with her powers to train until her mind was more clear to make decision since hurt was the driving force behind her right now. This had led to more arguing from the Elders and Freya threatening to release all the warriors into the mortal realm if Julie's wishes were not met.

Julie was sure a fight was about to ensue when three Angels of Destiny appeared and ordered everyone to leave except for Freya, the head Elder at the time, and the Charmed Ones so that they could resolve the situation with the Angels. Julie wanted to stay, but was ordered to leave and found herself nervously pacing outside in the middle of a circle of Valkyries. When Phoebe came outside to get Julie, the girl was led inside and told by the Angels that the path she was on now had not been the one originally intended. Julie learned she was suppose have suffered a normal injury two months after the Olympics that would have ended her Gymnastic career and the start of her Wiccan duties, but the Elders had chose to speed this process up by refusing to let her be healed. She was offered the opportunity to be sent back in time to be healed and sent back on her original path where she was healed and wouldn't remember anything. Julie stated that version of herself was no longer her and all she wanted were her powers back with the chance to live her life as she chose even if it was a life she was not destined for. Julie thought that she was owed that much for her life being turned upside down the past three months. The Angels agreed since Julie's freewill had been taken and since Julie was not the one who had ruined destiny. Paige and Phoebe had tried to convince Julie to go back in the past to redo things and not harbor the feelings of resentment towards the Elders. Only Piper (who Julie had always been the least close with out of the three sisters) was for Julie staying in this time. She argued that this was valuable experience the Elders should learn from and that the Charmed Ones should have never bound Julie's powers. Piper reminded her sisters that each of them had been angry at the Elders at one point or another when the Elders tried to interfere with their personal lives or how they handled their Charmed responsibilities and Julie was not different. Julie might only be seventeen, but Piper believed she was responsible enough to make her own decisions even if the sisters didn't agree with it. The experience was one Julie needed to learn and it was better for her to learn it at a young age according to Piper. The next thing Julie knew, the Sisters reserved the spell and Julie had her powers once more. They waited until the Angels and Elders left before they said their goodbyes to Julie. Phoebe threatened to kill Freya if any harm came to Julie on the Goddess' watch and Paige orbed them before Freya could retaliate. To this day the sisters didn't know that Freya had simply smiled at Phoebe's words and told Julie she had never had beings as powerful as the Charmed Ones jealous of her before.

A week later, Wyatt came to check on how Julie was dealing with all the sudden changes in her life. It was rare for Freya to let any outsider (especially a male) stay in Valhalla for more than it took to deliver a message, but she had made an expectation for Wyatt because he was a friend of Julie's, not because he was the future King of Magic. Although none of the Valkyries approved of Wyatt's presence in Valhalla, they bore their disapproval in silence and only glared at the witches the entire afternoon they spent on the shores of Valhalla. Julie admitted to him she didn't like how she left things or how she had to leave, but she was happy and felt at home in Valhalla. The routine of mediation and the exercises for Julie's injuries that Freya had her doing were strengthening her mind, body, and spirit. When Wyatt asked her if this was the first time she had felt at peace since Chris left, Julie had tried to skate around the topic. Eventually she confessed it was the first time she felt like herself since Chris left. She was able to channel her emotions into her training like she had in gymnastics, but didn't have to hide her true self. She was in the magical community with people who knew Julie all her life, but she didn't have to deal with pressures she was facing at Magic School especially what she was going to do when she turned eighteen. It was the first time in her life that she had no idea what she was going to do in the future and had no one demanding their expectations be met. Wyatt suggested Julie should stay in Valhalla while she healed and figured out her next move even though he didn't like the fact that her family wouldn't be able to see her. He could see the improvement she was making in the week she had been in Valhalla and knew just like her Mother's death, she needed time to heal in place she could be left alone.

Julie chose to stay in Valhalla the last two months of her Junior year of High School as well through the Summer leading up to the time she would have left for college. She didn't apply to any College during the year and half she spent in Valhalla unsure whether she wanted to live a normal life or return to magical community. Her injuries had healed so she was able to do the majority of gymnastic elements that she had once been able to do without being in pain except for the elements that once made her one of the best in the world. She would still never be able to compete again due to the high risk of injury, but it left the door open if she wanted to teach or to use her gymnastic skills in a fight. As her second consecutive summer in Valhalla came to end, Julie realized she wasn't going to find her new destiny in Valhalla. Julie told Freya this and Goddess offered her a chance to become a Valkyrie. Julie mediated the offer seriously considering becoming a Valkyrie especially since becoming a Valkyrie would give Julie a purpose in life that she would know and not one she would have to find. By the end of the week Julie gave Freya an answer in tears saying she wished she could stay, but knowing it was not the place she meant to be even if it would always be home to her. Julie half expected Freya to call the girl an ungrateful child or make fun of Julie for not being strong enough to hold back her tears, but Freya didn't. Instead the Goddess kissed the girl's head and told Julie that the girl who was like a niece to her was always welcomed to come home even if Julie had no intention of ever becoming a Valkyrie. Freya presented Julie with her very own Valkyrie pendant Freya had specially made for her. It allowed Julie to wear at all times without being transformed into a Valkyrie and would give Julie the powers and abilities of a Valkyrie when she used the pendant without having to lose her witch abilities. Julie could turn the pendant on and off with a simple Norse chant while she wore the pendant and held it with her left hand. The best part was the pendant would recognize Julie's power which meant it would be useless to anyone if they were to steal it or try use it.

Freya gave Julie her blessing so the girl left Valhalla traveling the world (mortal and magical alike) in hopes of finding herself and a new path to be on. She took an array of jobs for money to feed and shelter herself, but spent most nights outside tucked away in her bedroll under the stars. Julie would call for Wyatt every week or so to check in with him and he would orb to her if he needed her help. Julie lived on the road for a few months until she came to L.A. right before Christmas last year. She came to L.A. to visit Katrina since Katrina had moved back in with her parents after graduation from Magic School because Katrina (like Julie) had no idea which world she wanted to live in if she could not live in Valhalla. It was on that trip that Julie met Kyle. Julie had been walking back to her hotel room when she was attacked by a shifter demon who had acquired a few extra powers on the black market. Julie got away after she realized the demon had become too powerful to be vanquished without a potion. When Julie went after the demon armed with a potion, the demon was attacking Kyle for his powers. Julie was originally only concerned about vanquishing the demon, but the demon had tossed an unconscious Kyle at Julie so the demon could escape. Not wanting to leave Kyle in the open where she risked him exposing her to the cops, Julie got him back to his apartment and patched up his wounds so he wouldn't go to the hospital. He came in and out of consciousness while she took care of him, but she left him in order to project to Halliwell manor for Wyatt's help before Kyle became fully conscious. Kyle had been obsessed with tracking Julie down and found her mid-vanquish two days later without Wyatt. Julie was surprised by the boy's dedication and even more shocked by his tenderness once she had gotten to know him. Julie had already thought about staying L.A. before she met Kyle, but when the two of them came clean about their magical side on their third date she decided to stay in L.A. She had been considering starting school at UCLA in the fall and she began piecing her life back together.

Julie decided that she would go back to school after buying the beach house. She needed to go back to school (like the Halliwell sister had been bugging her about the past two years) and decided she wanted to stay close to Kyle since he was the only boyfriend she could open up to…not counting Chris since he and Julie had never been in an official relationship. Julie had then called Penny about the possibility of enrolling at UCLA knowing Katarina had already been accepted. Penny agreed and had told Lydia (whose Mother was good friends and had been on the PTA board with Piper) who wanted to come as well. When Julie had figured out who Angela was last February, Julie had invited her new Whitelighter friend to live in the beach house in order to give the girl a chance to live somewhat of a normal life since Julie knew what it was like to have the Elders ask to give up everything to serve them. LA was the perfect place for Julie and her friends. It was far enough from San Francisco where Julie, Penny, and Lydia could get away yet close enough where if the girls were needed in San Fran they could get there.

"Help!" Julie heard someone scream. "Someone please help me!" Julie ran toward the voice and unzipped one of the pockets of her backpack. She pulled out her cell phone along with her wallet and shoved both items into her jeans pocket. She then pulled out her potions pouch that looked like a coin purse before ditching the backpack in an open dumpster. Julie drank a yellow liquid that changed Julie's appearance from her petite sandy blond hair and green eyes with a 5'2 frame to a 6 foot tall girl with violet hair and matching violet eyes. Julie then made sure her potion belt was secured in another pocket before she pulled out a red vile. Julie turned the alley corner cautiously and found an ugly male human looking demon pinning a human man against the wall.

"Go ahead and scream," the demon suggested as it tighten its grip on the man's throat. "No one will hear you and even if they could who would come risk their life to see yours."

"Hey," Julie yelled causing the demon to let go of the human. The man fell with a loud "thump" on the alley floor. "I'm standing right here in case you didn't notice."

"Are you crazy?" the man asked Julie as the demon turned his body and attention toward her.

"I got it under control from here," Julie told the guy. "So you may want to run." The guy looked at her before he took her advice and took off.

"Cocky little girl," the demon taunted Julie as he took another step towards her. He sniffed the air before he gave her a smirk. "Or should I say cocky little witch." Julie laughed as she gripped a potion.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you big things come in small packages?" The demon threw a fireball at her and Julie did a back flip to get out of the way. She landed before she threw the potion at the demon. Julie was alarmed when she saw the potion barely broke the skin.

"Is that the best you have, witch?" he taunted. He threw another fireball and Julie did a roll dive this time to avoid it. The demon threw a third ball and Julie ducked before she threw a fireball of her own which caught him off guard. She projected a knife to throw at the demon, but the demon exploded. Julie looked and saw a platinum blond hair person her age holding a vile. He threw it at her, but Julie used her powers to make it hit the wall. Julie then closed her eyes and projected herself back in her living room. When the girl opened her eyes she was sitting on the marble tiled living room floor of her beach house. Julie groaned as she got up into a sitting position. Julie looked up at the sound of footsteps on the staircase.

"What's wrong with you, Jules?" Angela asked as she passed Julie to go into the kitchen. "And why did you take a glamour potion."

"I was just saying there's no place like home so I could come back home," Julie joked half serious. "And how come you can tell it's me." Angela grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before she turned to Julie.

"Violet hair and violet eyes? That's almost as tacky as the cheap leather outfit you like us to wear when were out hunting demons." Julie stood up. "Where were you? You look like you just got in a fight with a candle."

"It was the fireplace," Julie corrected. Angela sighed as she came into the living room.

"Fine be a witch," Angela stated as she took a sip of the water. "By the way, Penny told Dr. Hemingston you got food poisoning from breakfast which is why you're not in class right now. The sad part is he actually got food poisoning from the taco bar last week."

"I'm not surprised." Julie looked at the clock on the TV. "Don't you have class right now?" Angela snorted.

"If your cutting class because you're upset with Penny I think I can skip for being out all night with a charge and then writing a paper which I emailed in earlier. I'm going to bed."

"Sweet dreams," Julie wished as her Whitelighter went upstairs. Julie sat on the floor listening to hear if any of her other housemates were home. When she didn't hear any movement, Julie went into the Attic and grabbed a potion off one of the shelves to reverse the glamour. She then decided to take a shower using the bathroom attached to the attic in attempt to shake the feeling someone was now after her. She sighed when she realized her Friday night would now consist of homework and demon research…maybe after a nap.

* * *

**AN- Remember to Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- In the Valhalla episode, the producers used the j spelling for Fredja. As someone who grew up with the norse legends told by my grandparents, I will be using the y spelling which is Freya. I hope this clears up any confusion and enjoy chapter 3.**

* * *

Chapter 3

"Hey," came a voice from the staircase. Julie looked up from her Intro to Government book from the couch and saw Lydia. The girl tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder before she sat on the couch with Julie. "Do you mind if I borrow your leather jacket tonight?"

"I thought you had plans with Penny?" Julie questioned as she highlighted the sentence she had been reading.

"I do, but we're going to leave as soon as she gets back from dropping her car off in the shop." Julie looked up at Lydia alarmed.

"Is she…"

"Oh she's fine. Her check engine light went off this morning and she's dropping it off right now."

"Katarina's bringing her home?"

"No Katarina's class got cancelled so she left campus early to go run errands. Penny's calling a taxi to bring her home."

"Why didn't she tell me earlier ? I could have borrowed Kyle's car and driven her back here."

"Are you kidding?" Lydia asked Julie. "She was afraid you would have blown up the engine after this morning."Julie sighed and slammed her book shut.

"I would've helped her even if she overstepped the boundaries."

"Do you really think she did?" Lydia asked with a snide look.

"You don't?!" Julie exclaimed. Lydia continued to stare and Julie took a breath to regain her composer. "She had no right."

"She had every right," the Gypsy countered as Julie got off the couch. "Do you really think it's okay for someone of your status in the magical community? I wish you would get it through your head that he's part demon and you're a daughter of the Charmed…" Julie held up a hand.

"You need to remember I'm from the Daniel's line not theirs! Just because I was raised by one of them does not mean I have to be the perfect." Lydia stood.

"You don't have to be perfect Julie. You do have to expect some criticism for someone from your line of to be dating a demon."

"His mother was a witch!" Julie screamed. "What part of that don't you get?" Lydia opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when they saw orbs. Angela and Penny appeared in the living room. Angela grabbed her purse from the table before leaving the same way she came in.

"Hey," Penny greeted Julie. "Lydia and I are going to the new Collin Perkins movie tonight. Angela said she couldn't but if you and Katarina wanted to come…"

"Busy," Julie said as she grabbed her text book. "The jacket is hanging in the closest. I'll be in my room."

"Not our room?" Penny questioned. Julie gave the girl a look before she went to the stairs. Julie turned when she felt a hand took hers and saw Penny wearing a concerned look. "Can we please talk about last night and this morning?" Julie shook her head.

"Still too soon Penny-boo." Penny let go, but she wore a look of concern. Julie tried to ignore Penny, but she felt Penny watch her go up the stairs. Julie went up two flights of stairs before she reached the attic. It was a little smaller then the Halliwell attic, but it was still a large attic. It contained two tables (one was used for scrying while the other was used for potion making), a loveseat couch, a shelving unit for non cooking herbs as well as other potion making items, a five-shelf book case that held the five residents collective spellbook collection, and a shelving unit that held all there other magical items. Julie opened the door next to the window and went inside the cupboard. She then tossed her book on the floor before she collapsed onto the twin size bed gazing out of the window. Despite the room being a small one, it had the best view in the entire house. It didn't match Valhalla's, but it was good enough. After a minute of self pity Julie got off her bed and changed into a sweat-suit. She then made her way to the basement (carefully avoiding her housemates) and turned on the lights before she crept down the stairs. Julie checked to make sure Katarina wasn't in her room before sure turned on the stereo and looked around the basement.

The basement was huge compared to the Attic. Like the Attic, the basement had a small bedroom off to the side as well as a bathroom. The basement was fully equipped with exercise equipment, but it also served as a training area to the entire house even though Katarina and Julie were usually the only ones who used it. The floor was fully matted for sparing or combat drills (and sometimes in Julie's case a gymnastic routine) with different punching bags. There were also two chest under the stereo. One chest held sparring equipment in it and the other was a locked chest that contained weapons in it. She went to the one with the equipment and pulled out a roll of gauze to wrap her knuckles with. Julie then went to the heavy bag and began to work off her anger.

Despite how close the two girls were, Penny had always been jealous of how close Julie was to Chris. All of the Halliwell children (especially Melinda) actually were jealous of Julie and Chris' relationship. Chris picked on everyone as a way to deal with his parents' comparison of him to Wyatt and his parents coming down on him harder than they did with Wyatt or Melinda. His parents didn't do it on purpose, but from an early age Chris realized he wasn't like his brother and Melinda got away with more since she was the youngest as well as the only girl in the family. As a result, he teased his cousins and Julie about anything he could think of. Unlike the Halliwell children, Julie wouldn't put up with it and put Chris in his place on more than one occasion with her own words. In Chris' eyes, the ability to put him in his place made Julie way cooler than his cousins or siblings. As the two got older the two became closer friends. After Julie returned from her summer trip to Valhalla in order to grieve her mother death, the two became inseparable even though Wyatt and Julie became friends. Whether Chris was sitting in the bleachers waiting for her to get done with her practice or going to the mall Fridays nights to check out the latest cds and make fun of Wyatt as well as the other popular High School kids, Chris and Julie spent every waking moment together. That was until the six months Chris dated Sara who only dated him due to the girl's jealousy of Julie.

Their relationship took a further toll when Julie started to date Alex (the high school quarter back) near the end of her Freshman year of High School. Chris had always been the one to get in a fight if a guy would make a sexual or rude remark about Julie, but when Julie was with Alex, Chris would always fight with Alex. The cause of the fight was not always due to Chris being jealous. There had been a few fights where Chris had confronted Alex about kissing another girl or starting rumors about Julie when the two had a disagreement. Julie broke up with Alex near before her sophomore year and her relationship with Chris became a romantic one after he broke up with Sara. Chris was the first guy Julie had ever thought about having sex with as well as the first and only guy to ever see Julie cry. Although the couple had never announced their relationship to the family, Julie felt that Penny had always known just how close Julie had gotten to Chris especially since Melinda would complain to Prue and Malinda when Chris was with Julie. Despite only saying it behind Julie's back, Melinda and Prue blamed Julie for Chris leaving which Penny had never denied. It was part of the reason Julie stayed in Valhalla.

"Your left lead is crap," Katarina said as she made her way down the stair. Julie jumped at the sound of the girl's voice and tried to make it seem that she meant to jump embarrassed that she had not been aware of her surroundings.

"My mind isn't concerned with technique at the moment," Julie replied as she threw a cross-gab-hook combination. Katarina tossed her book bag to her bedroom door and went into the bathroom. She reappeared after she grabbed a hair tie. She then pulled her hair into a ponytail before she went over to the punching bag and held it in place for Julie. Julie nodded in appreciation and returned her attention to the punching bag.

"You and Penny need to learn that when you fight, you put everyone on edge," Katrina told Julie after a minute of silence. "I know it's because you two grew up like sisters, but it's not good for the atmosphere of the house and can hinder everyone's ability to keep a level head during a vanquish." One of the things Julie loved about Katarina was the girl's honesty. If Julie needed to know something, she knew Katarina wouldn't sugarcoat it.

"I didn't want to talk about it at breakfast because we were in public," Julie reminded Katarina as she did a roundhouse kick. The kick came close to Katarina, but she ducked out of the way instead of letting go. "And for the record I'm not asking anyone to take any sides. This is between me and Penny and the two of us will fix it just like we've fixed every other fight since we were able to crawl."

"Then you better fix it fast because the lines have been drawn. Why do you think her and Lydia went to the movies tonight instead of having all of us go out tomorrow night." Julie's punches got harder and Katarina let go hoping it would knock into Julie.

"They invited me to go tonight so maybe it's just because they want to go to the beach tomorrow." The punching bag was swinging from side to side and Katarina caught one of Julie's punches that missed the bag. Katarina then put her other hand on Julie's shoulder and looked into the witch's eye.

"She loves you," Katarina whispered. "You two just fight like sisters because you are sister. You being upset at her hurts just as much as her betraying your trust hurts you." Julie sighed in frustration, but grinned at Katarina after a minute.

"You better not let anybody hear you," Julie warned as she shook Katarina off. Katarina let go without a fight. "The other girls might think you're getting soft." Katarina shook her head but wore a smile.

"Who's going to tell them, you? Even if you said something they would never believe you." Julie smiled at the platinum blonde girl. Julie was the only one who took the time to see past the coldhearted Valkyrie façade when the girls were in middle school and was the only one who Katarina let her guard down now that they were older. It was a relationship that Julie didn't think was possible when the girls first met due to Katrina jealousy of Julie for being accepted in Valhalla. The day the pair found themselves in Leo's office for fighting was the day the two learned that they were similar. Both were strong-willed girls who put their guard on for the world in order to hide their hurt for their abandonment issues and whose main goal in life was to live a life that would make their Mothers proud. It was purely coincidence that the two were trained in the Valkyrie ways…a coincidence that brought them closer even when Julie left Magic School for High School.

"I don't think any of them realize there's a loving caring person beneath that kick-ass witch…"

"Valkyrie," Katarina corrected with a grin as she put her hands on her hips. "But yes I do kick ass." Julie shook her head and laughed, but stopped when her lack of ass kicking that afternoon came back to her. She still had to deal with the creature that threw a potion at her and had to retrieve her backpack along with her knife. "Julie what's wrong?" Julie looked at Katarina and chewed her lip as an idea came to her.

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" Katrina waved her hand so the basement door closed.

"If you're going to ask me to babysit Wyatt again I'm busy," Katrina stated plainly. Katrina was the only person outside of Wyatt's council who knew Julie's position since Julie had request Katrina's help in protecting him when Julie thought he could use extra protection. Usually Katrina didn't have a problem with it unless it was one on one bodyguard type protection when she had to make it seem like she was just a friend of his. Katrina had almost pulled a knife on Wyatt the last time she had guard duty when he said the reason Freya had denied his training was because she was on her period. Since then Julie had tried to keep the two away from one another.

"That wasn't what I was thinking," Julie assured her with a smile. "How would you like to go out and possibly kick some ass?" Katrina grinned.

"Sounds like the perfect Friday night to me."

XXXXX

"Explain to me why I'm here," Katarina requested Julie an hour later as they walked the streets of Los Angeles. The two were dressed identical in jeans, leather boots, black jackets, black hair wigs, and black sun glasses even though it was night. "If you're just getting your backpack you should be able to project in and out."

"Because I don't know if my bag was left there or if I have to search for it and the knife," Julie answered as an older couple stared at them. "Besides I have no idea if that guy was demonical or magical and if he is either he may be waiting for me or take my stuff to scry for me." Julie looked at Katarina. "I'd rather have some backup in case I need it." Katarina snorted.

"Your potions, knife, and Valkyrie training are enough of a backup." Julie smiled at Katrina's complement before she checked her pants pocket to make sure her potions were there and looked at her right boot to see her knife in it. The knife had the Daniel's crest on it and belonged to her mother who found it after her parents died. The crest was said to contain power in it, but Julie had not been able to call upon that power thus far in her life.

"But they're not trained to notice when someone is watching or trained to track." They turned down another alley and Julie stopped Katarina. "This is where I ditched my bag. The alley ahead on the left is where the demon attacked." Katarina nodded and continued to the other alley as Julie jumped in the dumpster. Katarina positioned herself so she was able to see Julie and scan the attack site.

"The demon didn't leave many ashes," Katarina reported as she scanned the alley. She squatted down to be eye level to the ground. "He did leave some sort of necklace. There's an indent of a pendant in the ashes that was probably picked up by your new blonde friend, but he didn't leave any footprints. Either he cleaned them or he doesn't leave footprints." Katarina then stood and held out her hand. The knife Julie had used earlier flew into her hand. "Is this mine?"

"I called for knife and that's what I got so get over it," Julie informed Katarina as she found her bag. "And keep an eye out, would you? My potions didn't even scratch the demon but the blonde's vanquished it." Katarina scanned the area as Julie climbed out of the dumpster. Julie then checked he backpack to ensure that everything was there. When she saw something was missing she dumped her backpack. Katarina came over when she noticed Julie's stuff on the floor.

"What is it?" Katarina asked.

"My agenda isn't here," Julie confessed as she put everything back in the bag. She then kicked the dumpster. Katarina walked toward the dumpster and climbed in to look for it.

"What was in it besides your homework assignments? Did you have your contact information?" Julie shook her head in frustration.

"No the contact info was for my P.O. box that's listed under an alias at the Post Office. I wrote down some notes from an article I found in the library yesterday in my agenda since I didn't have any other paper. It had to do with the murder sprees around the time Mom was killed." Katarina searched Julie's face.

"You think this might not have been an accident?"

"I don't know what to believe." Julie felt the hairs on her arms start to stand and she drew a knife from her boot. "Expect for the fact that we were being followed after all." Katarina flipped out of the dumpster after she pulled out her own knife from her boot and landed behind Julie so they were back to back. The two then used their Valkyrie training to scan and listen to their surroundings.

"I don't see anything," Katarina confessed after a moment as she took off her glasses to look around.

"Something's here," Julie assured the other girl as she took off her glasses as well. "Angel!" A few seconds later there was a ball of light.

"What have I told about that nickname?!" Angela demanded.

"Orb now explain later," Julie promised. At that moment a vile broke at their feet and a bright light filled the alley. The three girls were blinded and Julie felt something hit her shoulder. When she was able to see again she saw the platinum blonde guy from earlier.

"Got you now," he said as he raised his hand to levitate a broken piece of wood with a sharp edge.

"Wait!" a familiar male voice called out. Julie looked at the speaker and was greeted by a pair of blue-gray eyes. Before a word was spoken, Angela and Katarina appeared next to her. Katarina grabbed her hand and the three of them disappeared away from Julie's past.


End file.
